England may well boast of her commercial greatness, and Liverpool may honestly stand forward as the champion of our progress in commerce. Liverpool boasts that her merchants are princes ; the term is not inappropriate - they are men of lofty intellects - shrewd in matters of business, ignoring selfishness in their transactions and ???ing by their ordinary business affairs to raise the fame of our envied land. There is no one who has visited the Coburg Dock lately but must have been struck by the mighty specimen of marine architecture which lay at its north side for some weeks - we allude to the clipper ship Schomberg.

Her proportions are immense : but there is that symmetry without which the eye is displeased, and with which the mind is occupied in reflection upon the great results which attend civilization. The house of Messrs. James Baines and Co. has ever been an enterprising one ; they have always met the requirements of the emigrating public at an enormous expense, and their last attempt is one which has cast all others into the shade. The Schomberg, before she will be ready for sea, will have swallowed up two fortunes - she will have cost at least £50,000, exclusive of the expense of provisions and other necessaries for passengers.The length of this gigantic ship is 302 feet over all, the length between perpendiculars being 283 feet, whilst her extreme breadth of beam is 45 feet, and her depth 20 feet. Her builders' tonnage is 2,600 tons. To give some idea of the immense spread of canvas which this ship will carry, we may state that the mainmast is 110 feet in length, the main-yard 113 feet, maintopsail-yard 93 feet, main-top gallant yard 65 feet, main-royal-yard 55 feet, and main-skysail-yard 45 feet. We believe we are correct in stating that these are the squarest yards of any ship afloat - including even the British navy. The quantity of canvas spread will be 18,000 yards ! At sea, as well as on terra firma, people like plenty of room to exercise their limbs ; and passengers by the Schomberg may rely upon it that they will have no cAustraliae to find fault in this respect. The flush deck is a magnificent promenade. But the poop naturally attracts the attention of visitors, and, on stepping inside of it, they will be amazed at the magnificent apartment which is before them - had they been in some old baronial hall they could not have been more astonished. The length of the poop is about 62 feet, and its height nearly 9 feet. The centre portion of it is the dining saloon, which is 20 feet in width, and fitted up to accommodate 60 persons. A flood of light is admitted through spacious windows, each about four feet by three ; and there arc ten very large mirrors, the workmanship of which is most splendid. The whole apartment bears an appearance of magnificence which can only be appreciated by those who may have the good fortune to see it - gold and white being the prevailing colours. The carpets are of velvet pile, and the furniture is of mahogany, and of first-rate workmanship. Proceeding to the extreme stern of the vessel, through two doors, painted and decorated in the most chaste manner possible, we come to the ladies' saloon, or drawing-room - an apartment which reminds one of fairy halls. This saloon is inlaid with rosewood, setoff into Grecian arched panels, and ornamented with pilasters, surmounted with a very massive cornice, composed of clusters of carved fruit and flowers, and printed in white and gold. Around the upper part of the saloon is a sofa stuffed with horsehair, and covered with choice velvet, capable of seating thirty ladies. The furniture is all of rosewood, and is of first-class workmanship. The stern-post is hid from view by an octagonal plate-glass mirror, which reflects all parts of the saloon ; and there are five other mirrors of large size in various parts. Probably the most magnificent pieces of workmanship that were ever seen on board a ship are the doors in the ladies' saloon. They are of bird's eye maple and mahogany, with glass panels, which are inlaid with collections of fruit and flowers made of pearls and brilliants. The coverings of the chairs are of satin damask, the colour being green, purple, and gold, and the carpets are of the very best velvet pile. The ladies, and we can not doubt the gentlemen too, will be particularly pleased to learn that a piano has been provided. When we visited the ship yesterday afternoon, we were highly pleased to find upon the ladies' saloon table a centre piece of silver, or beautiful design, presented by the merchants of Liverpool to Captain Forbes, to record their admiration of his skill as a navigator, his devoted kindness and attention to his passengers, and the courage, energy, and decision displayed, by him in the management of his crew, when he made the unparalleled voyage from Liverpool to Port Phillip and back in five months and twenty-one days, including a detention there in the celebrated ship Marco Polo, belonging to Messrs. James Baines and Co., in 1853. There was also a silver salver and a tea and coffee service. presented by the owners to Captain Forbes ; and, last, though not least, a remarkably handsome silver goblet, presented to the captain by the lady passengers of the Lightning - another of Messrs. Baines and Co.'s ships - for his kindness and attention to them during the voyage from Melbourne to Liverpool, in October, 1854. The number of windows in the ladies' saloon is eight, and between each of them is a transparency of a view from Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, and Australia. Altogether, this part of the vessel presents a gorgeous appearance and exceeds in grandeur anything of the kind we have yet seen on board ship.

A voyage like that to Australia would be extremely monotonous unless some means of amusement were provided. Ever mindful of the wants of their passengers, Messrs. Baines and Co. have appropriated a spacious room on the port side of the ship, abaft the dining saloon to a library and writing-room. The fittings of this room are all of oak, and the shelves which have been put up will be stored with about 400 volumes of standard literature. Abreast of the library, on the opposite side, is the captain's cabin, with a door from the saloon lobby, and one also to the deck, through which he can pass without disturbing the repose of the slumberers beneath the salon. In this room, again, the greatest taste and elegance has been displayed in the selection of the fittings, the furniture, and the draperies. A crowned head might not refuse to repose in such a glorious apartment.

Descending by a flight of stairs, covered with Brussels carpet, of a very rich pattern, we come to the saloon passengers' cabin. This is a noble place, and all that refined taste would suggest has been done to make each berth a miniature palace. The bedding is of the very best material, and the fittings are replete with every convenience. The carpets are of various coloured velvet pile, and the curtains are of satin damask, lined with white satin, and French cambric curtains inside these. The fronts of the berths are highly decorated, and festoons of flowers are painted on the panels. No two berths are furnished with the same coloured material, and the visitor is, therefore, much pleased with the variety which he has to inspect. Ascending again to the dining saloon, we proceed up a flight of stairs which bring us to the poop deck - a most excellent promenade for the saloon passengers. Proceeding forward. we find in a deck-house every accommodation for the petty officers and the surgeon. In the centre are the galleys and the ovens in which bread sufficient can be baked daily to supply the whole of the passengers and crew - 1000 persons. The second deck is appropriated to the berths for the second cabin passengers, and the third deck for the steerage. The ventilation and lighting of these two parts of the ship have been most carefully attended to ; and the comfort and cleanliness of the second and third class passengers has been attended to by putting up iron berths for them, at a cost of double what wooden berths could be furnished There are on board baths and other conveniences ; and the provisions we anticipate will be of a very superior quality, ample pens having been erected wherein to keep fowls, swine, &c. A cow, too, will be carried to furnish milk for the use of the passengers. Boats, fire-engines, and other means of precaution have been duly adopted, and at the bottom of the ship are tanks for containing 90,000 gallons of water. These tanks have cost, we believe, at least £3000.

We have endeavoured to present our readers with a slight sketch of this leviathan of the deep, but we have found difficulty in doing so. Everything is so chaste and elegant in the saloons, the lower decks are so excellently fitted, and the culinary and other arrangements are so complete, that it baffles us to find a word wherein to express out admiration of what we saw. There is one thing, however, to be said, and that is that this ship is a model which might be imitated with advantage is the case of our American liners. The abominations with which emigrant vessels are too often infested can not possibly exist in the Schomberg.

In conclusion. we would say that there is every prospect of the berths being all fitted, and the cargo all engaged, for the Schomberg ; and we must congratulate Messrs. James Bases and Co. in having such a gentleman as Captain Forbes to command this clipper. If it possibly can be done, Captain Forbes will, with his gallant craft, put an end to all the croakings? about the inability of clipper ships to compete with steamers to Australia.

The Schomberg left Liverpool on 6th October 1885 with 430 passengers on board and 3,000 tons of cargo comprising iron rails and equipment for the Geelong railway and the construction of a bridge over the Yarra to connect Melbourne with Hawthorn. Its cargo also included flour, though it is not known whether this was for the journey, or for the colony.

Sailing was slow but uneventful. On the 27th day out from port, Captain Forbes sighted a Liverpool bound clipper called the Vision. Forbes and a boatload of passengers rowed across to the Vision and enjoyed an evening of dancing on the poop deck. When the two boats parted, the Vision took mail from the Schomberg’s passenger’s back to England.

On Christmas Eve, some 78 day’s out from Liverpool, the vessel made landfall near Cape Bridgewater. Next day, Moonlight Head was sighted. The ship was sailing with a strong south-easterly wind and had to tack several times but made little progress. In the evening the wind dropped and the ship was again heading in the direction of Moonlight Head. The gentle breeze made it difficult for the vessel to turn about and the ship was carried in through the breakers and came to a grinding halt on a sandspit. Neither the sandspit nor the currants in the area were marked on Captain Forbes’ charts. The sails were left up in case the wind strengthened and the ship freed its self from the sand bar. However, the sails were eventually brought down and the anchor let go.

During the night, a lifeboat was launched to locate a safe spot to land the passengers. The boat returned and the crew advised Captain Forbes to wait until daybreak becAustraliae heavy surf could easily overturn the small lifeboats.

At dawn, the ship’s Chief Officer saw the smoke of a distant steamer, the SS Queen. He sounded the signal guns to draw the steamship’s attention to the plight of the Schomberg.

The SS Queen, which was bound for Melbourne, approached the Schomberg and managed to take all passengers on board. Another steamer was sent by the Black Ball Line’s agent in Melbourne to collect passenger’s baggage.

Various steamers assisted with the unloading of cargo from the Schomberg, however when the weather changed for the worse, the task became impossible. Cargo was strewn over the beach and police had to patrol the area for looters.

The wreck and cargo were finally sold to a local firm of merchants however they did nothing to salvage what remained on board and the Schomberg was again sold to a Melbourne business man and two seafarers. Two of the partners drowned as they attempted to row to the Schomberg. After that, all salvage attempts were abandoned.

SCanadaadadal on Board the Schomberg

Back in Melbourne, following passenger’s complaints, an inquiry into the disaster and formal trial of Captain Forbes took place. Forbes, also known as Captain "bully" Forbes, was accused of neglect of duty. Some passengers told tales of dangerous sailing and of Forbes strutting around the Schomberg with a loaded revolver. All the officers on board the Schomberg were accused of being ungentle manly and immoral. Rumours spread of "half naked women" emerging from Captain Forbes’s cabin at all hours of the night.

Forbes was apparently playing cards with two female passengers when the Schomberg ran aground. By the time he came up on deck and gave orders it was too late.

Captain Forbes was finally acquitted on the grounds that there was not enough evidence to show he had not used every precaution necessary to save the ship. Following his acquittal there was a public outcry.